


Falling

by mnyrd



Category: Original Work
Genre: M/M, Original Fiction, Short, but i crave validation, i wrote this for my english exam, it's horrible i know
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-13
Updated: 2016-09-13
Packaged: 2018-08-14 20:59:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8028745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mnyrd/pseuds/mnyrd





	Falling

It was snowing on the morning when we finally decided to leave our town. After the death of our friend Cameron tensions were high, but we were eager to leave the memories behind. Spiderwebbing wheels of ice made their way across the thin windowpanes of the hostel we were staying in and cold wind whistled through the cracks in the wooden frames, turning our fingers the same peculiar shade of white belonging almost exclusively to winter skies. For a decision that would come to affect all of us so greatly, and not necessarily positively, it was not one that had been particularly well thought out. After packing our scant possessions into worn duffel bags and waving off a raven pecking inexplicably at the windshield, as well as the sense of foreboding that it inspired, the four of us piled into the car and left. The ease with which we were all able to abandon everything we knew was almost alarming, but though grateful nobody truly thought much of it at the time. As with many of life’s most important moments, the extent to which the occasion was responsible for the chain of events which were to unfold would not become obvious until much later on. Oblivious, we sat there quietly, watching snowcapped fencing flash past through the hazy fog  
our breath as June drove us towards the border. 

It wasn’t long before we crossed the state line, the sign alerting us to our passage into the self-proclaimed ‘maple state’ glinting obnoxiously in the cold winter sun. ‘Would you look at that,’ Keres yawned with her nasal southern drawl, gesturing subtly to what I assumed was the glaring lack of maple trees amongst the pine, before starting to recount her trip to her Uncle Jim’s property in Canada - “Where the real stuff comes from, you know?” - in excruciating detail. Evidently, the cheap coffee she demanded that we stop for a few miles back was doing its job. Tuning out Keres’ inexorable rambling was a valuable skill, and one that the four of us had mastered over the course of our friendship. We were a very tightly knit group; our utter dependance on each other was, though not as detrimental as some of our other tendencies, perhaps the very thing which led to the somewhat rapid progression of events following our departure. Though not one of us had many acquaintances beyond the other three, we held no particular desire for change, and so in spite of the fact that we often grew weary of each other’s company and occasionally fought amongst ourselves, for the most part things continued to remain much the same as they had always been.

Conversation picked up after that, and we chatted amicably for a number of hours as we drove further north on the I-89. There was a certain tension between us, however, that had been growing harder to ignore the longer we attempted to do so, though this did little in the way of inspiring us to acknowledge it. It first started in late October, following a bottle or two of scotch. Keres had taken it upon herself to back me into a corner, having decided that I returned the feelings she had apparently been hinting at for the past few months. In fact, I was until that point entirely unaware of her interest in me. I would have carried on happily disregarding the knowledge, had she not somehow caught the way my eyes had flicked ever so imperceptibly to the left. She followed my line of sight to where to William sat on the couch, head thrown back in laughter, and proceeded to slap me across the jaw. Keres had always been quick to anger, and I too proud to back down from a fight, and so it escalated until we were forced apart by the others. To this day I am unable to comprehend the utter disgust and betrayal written on her face, and I’m not sure I ever will.

Keres had appeared to let go of the issue uncharacteristically quickly. She didn’t talk to me outside of group conversations and went out of her way to avoid being alone in a room together, but I had assumed that it was simply out of a lack of tolerance or lingering embarrassment on her part. It wasn’t until a few weeks after that the thinly veiled jibes became frequent enough for me to realise that though I had assumed the incident behind us, I had done so rather mistakenly. On this particular morning, in closer quarters than we had been for months, even the ravens flying overhead and the pine trees rushing by the window weren’t enough to distract me from the constant needling. June made efforts to change the topic, but Keres paid no attention to her. I could see the muscles straining in William’s arm from how tightly the fist on the seat between us was clenched, so I placed my hand on top of it momentarily. I shook my head in a silent bid to get him to leave it be. He drew his eyebrows together before calming slightly, and I examined the four crescent moons left in his palm. Keres quieted, and I raised my gaze expecting to meet hers. Instead, she was staring at our hands as though they were beneath contempt. I turned back to the ravens silhouetted against the pale clouds, trying my best to ignore the holes being burnt into the back of my head.

William and I had grown considerably closer over the past fortnight or two in particular, and it had evidently not gone unnoticed by Keres. We’d been starting to spend some time together alone as well as with her and June, usually after our classes, much to her apparent annoyance. I was attempting to recall any other occasions which hinted more explicitly at the exact reasons for Keres’ mood as of late; the idea that it was purely because of the relationship between William and I seemed rather ridiculous, but my efforts were futile. I was pulled back to the present when I felt the car come to a stop in front of a copse of barren maple trees. “I’m going to get lunch, and then for a walk up to the lookout. You’re all welcome to join if you can counterfeit civility,” June announced before slamming her door and striding towards the café doors. We followed, if only because we were unwilling to stay in the car without heating for very long, and sat down in a booth next to the window - William and I on the inside, June and Keres beside us. The girls gossiped about June’s latest conquest, while he and I sat in companionable silence. I was leaning against the back of the seat, admiring the way his soft blond curls fell over his forehead when a pointed cough from my left drew my attention to the waitress stalking over to our table. The food arrived shortly afterwards, and we more or less inhaled it, having skipped breakfast that morning. Keres stole the keys and ran back off to the car; I had my black coffee transferred to a takeaway cup and tightened my scarf before following June over to the trail. “Going?” I asked William, indicating the pathway with a nod of my head. “If you are-” he stated, holding a gloved hand out toward me- “then I will.” I took it in mine and we strolled off after her. 

The trail ended in what we discovered, after what seemed like hours of walking (though was likely a half hour at most), in a steep cliff that looked over white mountains. June was sitting with her legs dangling over the edge; there was no barrier to be seen. Slightly nervous, I allowed William to drag me over and sit down next to her. We took in the landscape long after June ambled back to the car, talking softly until our lips turned blue, and then he stood up to leave. I followed suit, though I didn’t notice how close we were standing until after I had straightened myself up. I froze in fear, but when he stepped closer and placed his hand on my cheek I leaned into the soft touch. His eyes flicked to my lips and I moved to close the distance between us when his eyes widened in horror. I was about to step back and ask if I had overstepped when suddenly I felt two small hands push roughly against my shoulder. Before I knew what was happening, the ground disappeared from underneath my feet. I saw June drag a screaming Keres back from the edge, whilst William stood above me in shock. He dropped to his knees before my pinwheeling arms tilted him out of view, and I closed my eyes to the glaring white of the sky as I watched a lone raven climb towards the hidden sun.


End file.
